Instep increaser



A wili 211, F1936. c.- A. MESSMER INSTEP INCREASER Filed Feb. 18, 1935 Patented Apr. 21, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE INSTEP INCREASER Application February 18, 1935, Serial No. 6,961

12 Claims.

This invention relates generally to the manufacture of shoes and particularly to a last provided with a device whereby the instep measurement may be slightly increased at will.

In certain types of shoes, particularly in ladies shoes, of a character in which there is a tendency for the upper to bite into the foot in the region of the throat line, it has heretofore been suggested that means be provided on the last for slightly increasing the dimension of the shoe in the instep. Heretofore this has been accomplished by placing a piece of leather or other material as a saddle across the cone of the last and then lasting the upper thereover so that the normal instep is slightly increased.

The object of this invention, generally stated, is to provide a last with an adjustable part for varying the instep measurement.

A further object of this invention is to provide a last having a part thereof adjustable between the normal instep measurement and an increased instep measurement.

A more specific object of this invention is to provide an instep increaser for last which is readily adjustable between normal and expanded positions and which, when set in either of the positions, is not subject to collapsing under the pressure of the leather during lasting.

Other objects will become apparent 'to those skilled in the art when the following description is read in connection with the accompanying drawing; in which Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a last provided with an instep increaser in accordance with the present invention, part being broken to reveal parts of the instep increaser;

Figure 2 is a detail view in bottom plan of the adjustable part of the last shown in Figure l; and

Figure 3 is a View corresponding to Figure l and showing another embodiment.

In accordance with the present invention, generally stated, a part of the cone of a shoe making last which may extend from slightly below the normal throat line position on that last upwardly to and including its peak may be severed from the other parts of the last so as to provide a section which may be adjustable relative to the main body of the last in order to increase the instep measurement above the normal measurement, when and as desired, but at the same time to permit shoes of the normal instep measurement to be manufactured upon the last.

Moreover, and particularly in accordance with the present invention, the severed cone part may provision is made whereby during that movement the severed cone part will be elevated relative to the body of the last and finally locked in elevated be so connected to the forepart of the last that it may be slightly moved relative thereto andmeasurement increased above normal.

Referring now particularly to Figure 1 wherein one embodiment of aninstep increaser formed in accordance with the present invention is shown,.

the usual last is shown having a forepart I and a heel part 2 'hingedly connected'together in accordance with the common practice. The upper portion or cone part 3 of the last may be made adjustable relative to the body of the last and in order to provide a separate cone part. It will be understood that such a cone part 3 may be formed independently of the forepart I during manufacture of the last originally or may be severed from an already existing last by sawing along lines 4 and 5; In the embodiment illustrated a fiat surface 6 is produced at line 5 upon'which cone part 3 may slide relative to forepart I. Below the fiat surface 6 is provided a groove 7 in the forepart I. The groove I may be deep enough and long enough to accommodate suitable connecting and I elevating devices. Inthe embodiment illustrated a bar 8 is suitably attached to the lower surface of cone part 3, as for instance, by fitting in a suitable slot in which it is held by anchoring pins or otherwise and extends downwardly into groove I in forepart I. As shown in the drawings bar 3 may be provided with slots Band II] through which may pass pins I i and 52 for connecting the bar and its adjunct'cone part 3 with forepart I of the last.

As shown in Figure l, the bar 8 is somewhat shorter than groove 1 so as to permit sliding movement of cone part 3 in the general direction of the flat surface '6 and it will be observed that cam or elevate the rear end of cone part 3 as the cone part is slid forwardly relative to forepart I. Adjacent slot 9 is: a shoulder I3 adapted totake over an edge formed by flattening one side of pin I I as shown at I4. When the shoulder I3 isseated upon edge I4 it will be observed that the cone part 3 islocked in its elevated position illustrated in dottedlines in Figure 1 and that it can not be displaced-from that position by any pressure applied normal to its surface which is the direction of pressure applied to that member-during the lasting of a shoe upper, and consequently there will be no tendency for the part to collapse or retract from its extended position during the manufacture of shoes.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 3 a slot 20 is shown at the forward end of bar 8. In this case the slot 20 extends at an angle to the sliding surface 6 so that upon movement of the cone part 3 forwardly it is cammed up to the broken line position.

The full line position illustrated in Figures 1 and 3 corresponds to the normal position of cone part 3 where the instep measurement designated as 15 is normal. It will be observed, however, that when the cone part 3 is slid forwardly so that it is elevated by the camming action of slot 9 and locked by engagement of shoulder l3 with edge M, the instep dimension has been slightly increased. When it is desired to collapse or retract the cone member 3 from this extended position the rear end of the cone member may be lifted vertically to unseat shoulder I3 from edge I4 and thereafter a pressure applied substantially parallel to flat surface 6 will be efiective to retract the cone member to the normal position illustrated in full lines.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that many modifications of the instep increaser hereinbefore described will present themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of this invention. It is to be distinctly understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to the specific details and arrangement of parts hereinbefore described, but that such modifications and the use of such individual features and sub-combinations of features as do not depart from the spirit of this invention are contemplated by and within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. An instep increasing device for shoe manufacture, comprising, in combination, a last, the cone part of said last from below the throat line position upwardly being slidable relative to the forepart of the last, means for limiting the sliding movement of said cone part, and means for elevating said part to increase the instep measurement of the last.

2. An instep increasing device for shoe manufacture, comprising, in combination, a last, the cone part of said last from below the throat line position upwardly being slidable relative to the forepart of the last, and means for elevating said part to increase the instep dimension of the last when it is slid forwardly.

3. An instep increasing device for shoe manu facture, comprising, in combination, a last, the cone part of said last from below the throat line position upwardly being slidable relative to the forepart of the last, and means operative upon sliding said part in one direction to elevate the same and increase the instep measurement of the last and upon sliding in the opposite direction to retract the same to normal instep.

4. An instep increasing device for shoe manufacture, comprising, in combination, a last the cone part of said last from below the throat line position upwardly being slidable relative to the forepart of the last, means operative upon sliding said part in one direction to elevate the same and increase the instep measurement of the last, and means for locking said piece in elevated position.

5. An instep increasing device for shoe manufacture, comprising, in combination, a last, the cone part of said last from below the throat line position upwardly being slidable relative to the forepart of the last, means operative upon sliding said part in one direction to elevate the same and increase the instep measurement of the last, and means for preventing retraction of said part by pressures applied during lasting of the shoe thereon.

6. An instep increasing device for shoe manu facture, comprising, in combination, a last, the cone part of said last from below the throat line upwardly being severed from the forepart of the last, means connecting said cone part in slidable relation with the forepart of the last, and means for camming said cone part into spaced relation with the last when slid in one direction.

7. An instep increasing device for shoe manufacture, comprising, in combination, a last, the cone part of said last from below the throat line upwardly being severed from the forepart of the last, means connecting said cone part in slidable relation with the last, means for elevating said cone part upon sliding the same relative to the last, and means for locking said part against sliding movement.

8. An instep increasing device for shoe manufacture, comprising, in combination, a last, the cone part of said last from below the throat line upwardly being severed from the forepart of the last, means connecting said cone part in slidable relation with the last, means for elevating said cone part upon sliding the same relative to the last, and means for locking said part against sliding movement, said connecting means permitting slight movement of the cone part While locked against sliding in a direction transverse to the plane of sliding to release the locking means.

9. An instep increasing device for shoe manufacture, comprising, in combination, a last, the cone part of said last from below the throat line upwardly being severed from the forepart of the last, means connecting said cone part to the last for slight movement relative thereto, and means responsive to pressure applied on the peak of the movable cone part to elevate the same relative to the adjacent last parts.

10. An instep increasing device for shoe manufacture, comprising, in combination, a last, the cone part of said last from below the throat line upwardly being severed from the forepart of the last, a slide on said cone part having a slot therein extending at an angle to the plane of severance,

and a pin mounted in said forepart and extending through said slot.

11. An instep increasing device for shoe manufacture, comprising, in combination, a last, the cone part of said last from below the throat line upwardly being severed from the forepart or" the last, a slide on said cone part having a slot therein, a pin extending through said slot for connecting said cone part to said last, said slot being shaped to permit movement of the cone part in the direction of the plane of severance and normal thereto, and means for locking said part at one limit of its travel.

12. An instep increasing device for shoe manufacture, comprising, in combination, a last, the cone part of said last from below the throat line upwardly being severed from the forepart of the last, a slide on said cone having a slot therein, a pin extending through said slot for connecting said cone part to said last, said slot being shaped to permit movement of the cone part in a direction angular to the plane of severance, and means for locking said part at one limit of its travel.

CHARLES A. MESSMER 

